I have a splendid sign over my desk. It is bright pink with
white letters: “All men are created equal … poor things.”
I have believed for years that women should not aspire to
equality with men, nor should any minority aspire to equality
with the “norm”. Women are better than that. So are blacks. So
are Hispanics. So are all the other minorities.
Whenever I forget this little lesson in life, something seems to
crop up to remind me. Most recently, I read an interview that
BusinessWeekOnline conducted with Marianne Sensale-Guerin, the
Small Business Administration’s Small Businessperson of the
Year. In response to the question on why she thought the SBA
chose her, Ms. Sensale-Guerin said, “…I think they looked
closely at how I treat my employees. I pride myself on taking
care of my employees – they have to have insurance, flexible
hours, vacation time. We live in a world where you have both
parents working, and as an employer, I’m very sensitive to those
issues.”
And Ms. Sensale-Guerin’s goal? To be successful enough so that
she can sell her business to her employees – they, then, could
reap the benefits of their hard work while she retired.
How many employers have you ever worked for that were so
sensitive to the present AND future needs of employees? How many
employers even care?
No, I am very glad that women are not equal to men. Women bring
a whole new perspective to the business world. And it’s about
time.
I’m very glad, too, that we have managed to get past the early
years of “women’s lib”. Back then I was one of the early members
in the businesswomen’s association of Silicon Valley. I am sad
to report that we once devoted an entire meeting to talking
about what kind of scarf/tie to wear with our business suits:
should it be soft and floppy, or short and stiff? Worse yet, the
consensus was that it should be as much like a man’s tie as
possible, so that we could “fit in.”
We’ve come a long way, baby. And it’s about time.
My grandmother was an entrepreneur before the word was invented,
as yours may have been. Many women were left alone to fend for
themselves and raise their families. My grandmother ran a gas
station and managed a small farm, with two stickers on her
window that she was immensely proud of: one from the Army, and
one from Navy, each showing she had a son in their service. That
was during WW II. She had raised those two sons herself with her
gas station and small farm, and continued with both until her
death a decade later.
I daresay that Grandma didn’t care about floppy scarves. She had
more important things on her mind. And so should we.
We have families that need our guidance and love. We have
communities that need our leadership and sensitivity. We have a
world that can benefit immensely from the gifts that we, as
businesswomen, can bring to it. And we have businesses that need
… yes, a woman’s touch.
My other grandma raised her family by herself, too – 5 children
and a disabled husband. She was a nurse, bless her heart. It is
for her, and the legions like her that the modern women’s lib
movement is meant to help most of all.
It is due to the armies of women in mid-20th century who fought
for equal pay, better working conditions, child care, health
insurance, Medicaid programs and work sharing that our part of
the world has become such a better place.
We certainly haven’t won all of our battles. There is still a
long way to go. But, my goodness, can you imagine what our world
would be like if we had been like men? If we had simply put on
suits and said, “Yes, sir.”
No, we opted to be different. We opted to represent the
under-represented, the poor, the neglected. And more power to us
for having tried. I will opt for the way of the turtle, slow and
steady, so that as we win our wars, everyone will benefit.
There was a History channel program recently that showed Nazis
proclaiming that US women could never help in the war effort
because we couldn’t do anything more severe than dust a table.
They didn’t know Rosie the Riveter, or you or me.
I celebrate our difference.
I will fight tooth and nail so that women and minorities don’t
have to be equal to men.
Will you join me? It’s time.